Drawer-locking device



Jan. 2l, 1930.

M. KURTEN DRAWER LOCKING DEVICE Filed June 23, -1924 www Mathm Kul Patented Jan. 21A, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MATHIES KURTEN, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO VHEARY TRUNK COMPANY, F RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN DRAWER-LOCKIN G DEVICE Application filed .Tune 23,

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in drawer locking devices and refers more particularly to a device of this character especially designed for use in connection with wardrobe trunks.

It is one object of this invention to provide a drawer locking device of the character de scribed which is moved to drawer locking position by closing movement of the master drawer and moved to inoperative position by' the opening movement of any one of the other drawers after the master drawer has been wholly or partially opened.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a drawer locking device capable of being formed from a single length of stock material and having an arm or lever extended laterally therefrom to lie within the path of the master drawer and a locking tongue extended laterally therefrom for each of the other drawers and adapted to be engaged with the other drawers upon rotation of the device by closing movement of the master drawer engaging the lever in its path.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a locking device for the drawers of a wardrobe trunk which may be easily and cheaply constructed, is of sturdy construction and which will afford ample protection 3g against the unauthorized opening of the drawers.

lVit-h the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construc- Lion, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come wit-hin the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodimentof my invention constructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view of a wardrobe trunk with the sections thereof opened substantially ninety degrees with relation to each other,

1924. Serial No. 721,883.

the drawer section being shown in vertical section and having several of the drawers removed and the master drawer in partially opened position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of oneof the 5; improved drawer locking devices removed from the trunk;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary View, partly in sect-ion and partlv in top plan, taken through one corner of the drawer section on the plane so of the line 3 3 of Figure 1 and illustrating the locking position of the bar, and

Figure l is a fragmentary View, partly in section and partly in top plan, taken through one corner of the drawer section on the plane of the line 4 4 of Figure 1 and illustrating the manner in which the master drawer rotates the locking device to and secures the same in drawer locking posit-ion.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views; the numeral 5 designates the wardrobe section of a trunk having a shoe receptacle 6 in the lower portion thereof vand 75 a wardrobe section in the upper portion there-J of adapted to be closed by a curtain or other means 7, and 8 the drawer section, to be later more specifically described, which is hingedly connected with the wardrobe section by 8o hinge fittings 9 and has a hinged top 10 connected to the upper outer edge thereof for closing the wardrobe section top when the trunk sections are closed.

The drawer section 8 has a pluralityy of 85 spaced drawer guides 11 suitably secured to the side walls or panels 12 thereof to provide supports for drawers 13 slidably mounted thereon for movement to and from closed position. The drawers 13 may be of any de- 9@ sired shape or construction and the uppermost drawer 13 is what may be termed a master drawer carrying a suitable independent locking mechanism 14 on its front wall which is provided with the usual locking bolt, not shown, adapted to be engaged in a keeper recess 15 in the top wall or panel 16 of the drawer section to secure the master drawer in its closed position. The remaining drawers are adapted to be secured in closed l0@ position against unauthorized opening by locking bars 17 rotatably secured one to each side panel 12 adjacent the rear of the trunk by bearing members 18.

. Each locking bar 17 is provided with a plurality of laterally extended or projected locking tongues 19, positioned one adjacent the upper edge of each drawer 13, and an actuating arm or lever 2O carried by the upper end portion thereof adapted to be engaged by the adjacent end of the master drawer 13. Each drawer 13 has its side walls 21 oppositely notched or recessed to provide a` locking tongue receiving recess 22 in which the adjacent locking tongues 19 of the locking bars 17 are engageable when the drawer is in closed position and the locking bars rotated, in the manner later described, to swing their locking tongues inwardly.

As best illustrated in Figure 2, each locking bar 17 is preferably formed from a single length of bendable strip or rod metal, the actuating lever :2O being formed by striking the upper end thereof laterally and the locking tongues 19 being formed by laterally folding or bending medial portions of the locking bar. The locking tongues of each bar are in vertical alignment and the lever 90 is disposed at an angle of approximately ninety degrees with relation thereto, so that when the locking tongues 19 are swung against the adjacent side panels of the drawer section out of the path of the drawers, the lever or actuating arm 20 thereof lies in the path of the inner end of the master drawer 13. Then the drawers 13 are pushed inwardly to their full closed position and the master drawer 13 moved to closed position, the inner end thereof engages the actuating arms of the locking bars swinging them inwardly against the side panels to the position illust-rated in Figure a and rotating the locking bars to engage the locking` tongues 19 in the recesses 22 of the drawers. The lock 14 of the master drawer is then actuated to engage its locking bolt, not shown, in its keeper recess 15 and the 'drawers thus secured in closed position against unauthorized opening as will be readily obvious.

If desired, each locking bar 17 may be swedged or provided with a collar` 23 which engages one of the bearings or supports 1S to prevent dropping of t-he locking bars to disalign the locking tongues with the drawer recesses 22.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily obvious to those skilled in the art to which an invention of this character appertains that I provide a locking device for wardrobe trunk sections which may be bent or formed from stock material such as rod or strip metal to permit its production at a low cost without necessitating use of expensive dies and which may be easily applied to wardrobe trunks without requiring any change in the structure thereof.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a wardrobe trunk drawer section having a master drawer slidably mounted therein and a plurality of drawers slidable beneath said master drawer, a member rotatably mounted on the section between the adjacent sides of said drawers and the section and forwardly of the inner endsI of the drawers when in closed position, an actuating arm carried by said member in. the path of movement of said master drawer, a locking tongue extended laterally from said member at an angle with respect to said actuating arm, one of said lower drawers having a side wall thereof recessed to receive said locking tongue upon rotation of said member by engagement of its actuating arm with the master drawer, one edge of the recess in said lower drawer cooperating wit-h said locking tongue to rotate said member on opening movement of said drawer to release said tongue from the recess and dispose said actuating arm across the pat-h of movement of said master drawer.

2. In a wardrobe trunk drawer section having a master drawer slidably mounted therein and a plurality of drawers slidable beneath said master drawer, a vertically disposed single strand wire rod rotatably mounted within brackets secured on the drawer section, said rod being formed at spaced intervals intermediate its ends in laterally bent extensions to form locking tongues for engagement with said drawers and having a laterally bent terminal portion extending at an angle from said locking tongues to lie in the patri of said master drawer, said rod having an integral enlargement formed thereon intermediate one of said locking tongues and bent terminal portion for seated engagement over one of said brackets whereby to maintain the horizontal alignment of said locking tongues and bent terminal portion relative to said drawers.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

MATHIES KURTEN. 

